Jubilarian Priests 2018

50 Years

Bishop Frederick B. Henry
A native of London, Ontario, Bishop Frederick Bernard Henry was born on April 11, 1943; the eldest of five sons in the family of Leo and Noreen Henry. After finishing high school, he entered St. Peter’s Seminary, London. He became a priest on May 25, 1968. In 1971, he earned a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and in 1973 a Licentiate in Theology with a Specialization in Fundamental Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was an Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at St. Peter’s Seminary from 1973 - 1986 and Dean of Theology and Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary from 1981 - 1986. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of London and Titular Bishop of Carinola and ordained to the Episcopate on June 24, 1986. He was installed as the fourth Bishop of Thunder Bay on May 11, 1995 and installed as the seventh Bishop of Calgary on March 19, 1998. Bishop Henry’s episcopal motto, ‘Dabo Vobis Pastores’ (I will give you pastors) is taken from Jeremiah 3:15, which reads ‘I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding’. This was the motto of the seminary in London, ON where Bishop Henry taught before coming to Calgary. As Bishop, he was passionate about addressing abortion, euthanasia, the disregard of the poor, and the education of young people. He was motivated by his love for the priesthood and by the growing population of Calgary. On January 4, 2017, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Henry, and has appointed the Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough, as his successor. 

Rev. John Maes  
Fr. John Maes was born in Antwerp, Belgium in January of 1943. He went to Edmonton seminary and was ordained a priest on May 18th of 1968 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary by Bishop Harrington. He served as the Assistant Pastor of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary in 1968, followed by Canadian Martyrs in 1971. He went on to serve as Pastor of a number of parishes in the Diocese of Calgary, starting with Holy Cross Parish in Fort Macleod (1973-77), St. Andrew in Vulcan (1977-80), St. Augustine in Taber (1980-84), St. Basil in Lethbridge (1984-89) and St Thomas More in Calgary (1989-95). His last pastoral assignment was also his longest. He served as the Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Medicine Hat from August 1998 until his retirement on July 31, 2010. 

Rev. Dominic Phamvanbao
​Father Dominic Phamvanbao was born on November 16, 1939 and was ordained a priest on June 1st of 1968. With the Diocese of Calgary, his first assignment was with the Vietnamese Catholic Mission from 1978-1981 as an administrator. At the same time, he was also the associate pastor of Holy Spirit Parish (1979-1981.) He served as pastor at St. Ann’s Parish (1981-84), Our Lady of the Assumption Parish (1986-89), St. Francis Church (1989-95), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (1994-95), Ascension Parish (1995-99), Holy Trinity (1999). Also, he took on associate pastor roles at Corpus Christi Church (1984-85), St. Gerard’s Parish (1985-86), and St. Vincent Liem from 2009 to 2012 when he was assigned to the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Upon returning to Calgary in 2015, he resided at St. Dominic Priory.

25 Years

Rev. Jaroslaw Dziuba
Father Jaroslaw ‘Yarek’ Dziuba was born in 1965 in Chrzanow, Poland. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1993 for the Society of the Divine Saviour, an order which emphasizes the universality of the Christian vocation, animating lay people to live their baptismal commitment and to be witnesses of faith in their private and social life. Within the Diocese of Calgary, he has served as a pastor at St. James, Calgary (2007-12) and St. James, Okotoks (2012-16). Father Yarek is presently the pastor of St Joseph, Calgary where he has served since August 2016 and he is also the Dean of Northwest Calgary. Among many things, Fr. Yarek is known for his theological and deep understanding of the Divine Mercy.

Rev. Paul Raj
Born in 1965 in Palayamkottai, Tirnelveli, Fr. Paul is seventh of eight children. He has five brothers and two sisters. He decided to join the Diocesan seminary after grade 10 but his parish priest then vocation director looked at him and said that he was too young. After Grade 12, he joined the Pallottines and became a priest after 11 years of studies. He was ordained on December 19, 1993 by Most Rev. Irudaya Raj, D.D., Bishop of Palayamkottai Diocese, Tamil, Nadu, South India. He completed his Masters in Pastoral Theology in the Philippines in 2001-2004. He then returned to India to continue serving the church as a pastor and shared his knowledge by guest teaching in the seminary for the next 5 years and offering Pastoral Theology classes to the lay people. His ministry highlights thus far as Pallottine Priest has the Church he built and a 27 class room high school. His first assignment in the Diocese of Calgary was at St. Cecilia in 2014 as an assistant pastor. Father Paul is presently the pastor of St. Cecilia in Calgary and has been since December 2014. He is also the Vice Superior of the Pallotines in Canada. 

Rev. Albert Sayson
Father Albert Sayson was born in 1962 in Naga City, Philippines. He studied in a Catholic school run by Chinese priests. This school provided students a venue to grow in faith and to be involved in church work as altar servers or members of the school choir. He served as an altar boy right through his high school years and continued to work as a convent boy during his first year of university. After almost a year, he was encouraged by Fr. Joseph Chen to attend a vocation campaign search. Out of curiosity he participated in the gathering and following that began to pray for guidance to take the entrance examination to enter in the seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 8, 1993 in Taytay, Rizal, Philippines. He is presently serving on his first assignment in the Diocese of Calgary as the associate pastor of Holy Family, Medicine Hat where he has been since December 2014. In his own words he said “I am so grateful to all the people who have been supportive and prayed for me. It is in the Mass that I encounter Jesus who has guided me and who I have been celebrating Mass for 25 years for. I am still encountering Jesus with all the people who attend as I celebrate the Eucharist. It was at the Chrism Mass that I renewed my promise to serve God’s people and his church as I celebrate my 25th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. I am so grateful to celebrate my anniversary with other jubilarians in the diocese of Calgary.”

Rev. Jacek Walkiewicz
Father Jacek Walkiewicz was born in 1967. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1993. One of the main motivations of his priesthood is his love for serving and being with his people. He belongs to the religious order Society of Christ. He was sent to North American province in 1995, not long after his ordination. He was in Chicago for 4 years working as the pastor for Holy Trinity Church. He then served at Sacred Heart, Guelph, Ontario, which was his longest tenure so far. After fourteen years, he served at St Cyril and Methodius in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for two years. In 2015, his Superior Provincial asked him to go to Canada. He was assigned as the pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Calgary.